Amy & Tyler Rex

all i want is you

2012-02-14T09:39:00.000-08:00

tyler, will you be my valentine?

you are kind.

you are cute.

you are cuddly.

you are strong.

you are handsome.

you are athletic.

you are smart.

you are passionate.

and best of all...

you are mine.

and you are taking me to my favorite restaurant tonight. i can't wait to eat insane houston's deliciousness whilst i look at your sweet face. i am so happy that i get to kiss your cute lips for the rest of my days. i am so happy that you are my valentine. i love you.

lunch

2012-02-13T09:00:00.000-08:00

this is what lunch time looked like at my house on thursday.

i got creative & decided to try something new. a whole grain english muffin, some basil pesto, sliced roma tomatoes and a slice of mozzarella cheese. it was delish. seriously. and healthy.
all items were purchased at trader joes. enjoy.

fruits & veggies

2012-02-10T10:50:00.000-08:00

for his birthday my parents gifted tyler this lovely. we are so excited and we have been using it just about every day. we are getting our fruits and veggies in everyday and loving it. this particular smoothie cosisted of avocado, grapes, pear, pinapple juice, spinach and broccoli. thanks mom & dad!

yesterday

2012-02-09T10:10:00.000-08:00

yesterday i was a little under the weather... a little sad & sensitive. tyler went out to run an errand and came back with two of my favorite roses.
that's right people. that just happened.
my husband is a sweetheart. i am so blessed to have him in my life. sometimes life doesn't go the way you planned and we ( i ) need to exercise a little more faith in the bigger picture. maybe someday i will get answers. maybe i wont. either way i have faith that tyler and i can get through or accomplish anything as long as we are doing all we can do and exercising faith in God's plan for us.

trip of a lifetime

2012-02-08T10:37:00.000-08:00

getting there:

we skipped our layover and got to hololulu 3 hours early

we headed to ryan and kristen's to see our nieces before they went off to bed

slept in a super cute room that kristen so lovingly prepared for us

first day:

beach day at bellows

swimming in water i could see through no matter how deep i was

feeling sand that didn't feel like sand. it felt more like flour.

dinner & live music at kona brewery

second day:

hike

beach

s'mores in the front yard

jacuzzi at the marriott in waikiki

third day:

sailing to the sand bar

eating amazing meat and veggies and pineapple fresh off the grill

octopus at the sandbar (see video that tyler posted on fb)

fourth day:

drive to laie

temple

pipeline with caroline

shaved ice with donnie at turtle bay

lunch with donnie and care

dinner at lulu's

fifth day:

arrive at hotel

jump on the bed

hot tubbing

laying by the pool

hot tubbing

hawaiian shaved ice

hot tubbing

swimming in the ocean

lunch

bubble bath

fancy dinner to celebrate ty's birthday and our anniversary

sixth day:

laying by the pool

reading

hot tubbing

playing in the waterfalls

laying on the beach

swimming in the ocean

hot tubbing

lunch

hot tubbing with taylor, dylan and ryan

watching the most beautiful sunset i have ever witnessed

taylor and dylan found hermit crabs

seventh day:

hot tubbing

swimming in the waterfalls & pools

packing

sitting in the airport for 3 hours because our flight was delayed

like i said before... it was the most amazing vacation we have ever been on. we are so grateful to ryan and kris and the girls for making the trip so great. we are so glad that we got to spend time with them. we also got some much needed alone time to just laugh and play together. i still can't really believe just how insane this trip was. oahu, you will be sorely missed.

our weekend

2012-02-07T14:21:00.000-08:00

we went to naples and ate pizza. we saw extremely loud & incredibly close. i cried. we snuggled. we made smoothies in our new vitamix. i went on a run. tyler won his basketball game. we had yummy homemade quesadillas & guacamole, courtesy of your truly. we went shoe shopping. i got new runners. we went to woodranch with the kings. we love them. we can't wait to meet baby westen. we went to church. we watched the super bowl with our friends and ate really good food. we still feel full.

motherly love

2012-02-01T11:09:00.000-08:00

for tyler's birthday my mother in law put a facebook album together of photos of tyler growing up. it was so sweet. i love looking at photos of baby tyler. i wanted to share some of my favorites with you.

thank you cindy for such a wonderful gift & thank you for loving tyler so well.

tyler still wakes up with messy hair, he still has the cutest lips i've ever seen & he still gets that big grin when he eats donuts. man i love him. i can't wait to see if our kiddos have his heart melting smile too.
how on earth will i ever get anything done?

direction

2012-01-25T11:05:00.000-08:00

new years resolutions are tough for me sometimes. because i am a task oriented person i find it difficult to narrow my list down to an appropriate/realistic amount of goals or ambitions. so i tried to think about it a lot and talk it over with tyler. together we have decided on the following goals. some of them are mine and some of them are ours.

mine: read five (5) books. this may not sound like much, but since i graduated it's been tough for me to start a book and actually finish it. so this is actually a bit of a challenge for me.

ours: read the book of mormon together

ours: save enough money to pay off our student loan in july

mine: stick to my diet plan. exercise self control & self discipline. stretch myself in my work outs.

mine: live life simpler. be happy with what i have & try not to complicate things by putting too much on my plate. don't waste time watching tv when there are more constructive things i could be doing.

mine: try out my dad's old road bike.

mine: continue to make progress with my photography. maybe be brave & quit my job so i can really focus on making money while doing something i am passionate about.

ours: make meals from the biggest loser cookbooks i got for christmas

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last year i made an inspiration board and i did accomplish some things. i would now like to toot my own horn just a little. there are still things on that list that i need to accomplish, but i would like to share what i actually did accomplish...

i now have created the habit of reading scriptures everyday. for a long time i would start up and just lose the motivation or forget to read each day. i know it helps me to be happier and closer to the spirit so i have tried really hard this year to finally make it stick. this has been an ongoing struggle for me to remember, but not anymore! yay!
i am proud to say that we got a lot of use out of our bikes over the past year. it's been really fun to ride with our friends too.
i made the goal of running another marathon and in october i did it! it was awesome.
i wanted to sew more & i made a blanket for my niece!
i tried a bunch of recipes from my jillian michaels cookbook.
i bought my D700 & launched my photography blog. i also attended the tonya joy workshop and learned a ton. i am really grateful that i was able to make some major progress.

so maybe i didn't finish everything i wanted to in 2011, but i did do a lot. i am excited for 2012 and all the changes it will bring. it's kind of scary how uncertain our future is at this point. the fact that our lives could drastically change fairly quickly depending on what job tyler gets is actually kind of exciting.

here's to another great year.
i have a feeling it will be even more exciting than the last.

back to reality

2012-01-23T14:57:00.000-08:00

pretty sure this is my favorite pic from our trip... more to come.

thanks kris!!!

we have returned to the mainland and are (slowly) getting back to reality and we're still adjusting to waking up to the sound of an alarm clock.

our trip to hawaii was hands down the

most incredible vacation we have ever been on.

it was so much fun to stay with tyler's brother ryan, his lovely wife kristen and our neices taylor & dylan. we got to stay at the fanciest schmansiest hotel we've ever seen for a couple nights too. while there i spent most of my time in the hot tub.

c'mon... what did you expect?

we feel so blessed to have been able to share that time together to celebrate 4 years of marriage, tyler's graduation and his 27th birthday. it was like a little refresher. somewhat of a second honeymoon i suppose.

so... since today is my man's actual birthday... i just want to let him know that i am so grateful for him and our life together. i had so much fun with him on our trip. i remember many occasions where we just laughed with one another. those instances will be burned into my memory forever. i just felt so in love with him and so lucky to have such a happy person to spend all my time with.

happy birthday tyler!!!

i love you with my whole soul & i think we should start every year celebrating in

hawaii relaxing & laughing together.i'm so glad you're mine forever.

merry christmas

2012-01-08T22:36:00.000-08:00

christmas was awesome. i baked goodies. we went to two christmas eve celebrations.

we sang songs and read scriptures.

we love our families and are so grateful to be able to spend time with them during the holidays.

stout christmas eve.

brady christmas eve.

christmas morning at the rex house. if you have ever wondered what i look like after i roll out of bed just scroll down. it's pretty glamorous. i know.

no traffic. in orange county. a must see.

pitts christmas morning.

i made these vintage looking canvas prints for my parents. they were my favorite photos that i took after brylee was born. thank you beautiful mess for the tutorial. mom and dad loved them.

rex christmas afternoon.

highlights:

tyler & brekyn wore matching outfits

grandpa's santa hat & grandma's matching bow

eloise eating a turkey leg

julia's singing

my pretty pearl that tyler gave me

watching brylee open her presents

seeing my parents reaction when they saw the canvas'

tyler playing with his new globe

my new camera bag from jo totes

owen asking me for more chocolate popcorn with a chocolate mustache

today

2012-01-04T11:18:00.000-08:00

my lovely sister kimberly made the A+T medallion and tyler bought me the pearl for christmas.

i decided the pearl looked a little lonesome so i added kimberly's creation a few days ago.

today is our four (4) year anniversary.

so much has happened over the last four years and i can't believe it has gone by

so fast...

we got sealed for all eternity in the newport beach temple. best. day. ever.

we honeymooned on a mexian riviera cruise.

we came home to our first apartment in fullerton.

we started school again and eventually we each transferred to cal state

we got new jobs

we bought a new car

we never moved but we went on a lot of trips...

san diego, seattle, hawaii, utah, d.c., santa cruz, vegas

we acquired a sail boat

we saw U2 on the floor at the rosebowl & saw coldplay twice

we welcomed neices & nephews into our families

we rode our bikes. a lot.

we watched a lot of friends & family get married

we lost weight (and probably gained a little too)

we had surgery (me-wisdom teeth, tyler-appendix)

we both graduated college

we ran marathons, half marathons, triathlons & competed in the ragnar relay

we made a lot of friends and lots of memories

there was a lot of other stuff too, but this could turn in to a very long list.

mostly i feel like we learned how to love each other better. each day, month or year that goes by i feel like i get more and more attached to tyler and our life together. i get more and more excited about the future and all the things we will be able to do together.

mostly i just love tyler a whole lot and i cannot imagine my life without him in it.

happy four year anniversary tyler. i love you more than anything in the whole world. thank you for being my husband and taking care of me. i am so grateful to be your wifey.

i'm not trying to rub it in

2011-12-30T15:02:00.001-08:00

we thought it would be fun to stay at a hotel for a night while we're in hawaii, but we knew we probably shouldn't spend the money. i decided to look around on our marriott rewards account and totally scored. i mean royally. we just booked two nights at the Marriott Ko Olina Beach Club. wait. it gets better. we used points so we only had to pay $75. seriously? insane. we are out of our minds excited.

our lovely travel agent hooked us up with an amazing deal on flights too. and with our amex points we will have to pay even less. for reals? we are SO blessed.

I'm in a pretty killer mood right now. it's friday. we're leaving work early to go to the movies and dinner. we have a 3 day weekend. the forecast looks like monday will be a beach day. life is grand.

i also got some gift cards for glen ivy for christmas from tyler and jessica. i made an appointment for an 80 minute massage for tomorrow, new years eve. that's right folks. i'm starting the new year right.

relaxed. peaceful. serene.

happy new year!!!

i talked to tyler today about setting some rex family goals this weekend. i'll let you know what we come up with. a lot may change for us in 2012.

i'm pretty excited about it.

see ya later

2011-12-29T13:39:00.000-08:00

good news folks. we just booked flights to honolulu, hawaii to visit tyler's brother and celebrate our four year anniversary, tyler's graduation and tyler's birthday. we are SO excited to get away for an entire week and spend time with family and have some time to ourselves without worrying about work or school. we haven't had a vacation free from the worry of school ummm... like... ever! this is something we've been looking forward to for years!

needless to say we are stoked. just two weeks from today we will be flying off to paradise and leaving the mainland to basque in the sun.

woohoo!

i. can't. wait.

i'll never forget

2011-12-21T22:34:00.000-08:00

i'll never forget the weekend tyler finished his bachelors degree. it was so much fun to celebrate with him and honor his huge accomplishment.

on thursday night he came home to this...

then we went to bj's for some pizza & then it was party time with the grochmals at portillo's.

on friday we slept in, went to a movie, ate at houston's and did a little christmas shopping with the dicksons.

i also surprised him and got him another gift. see the photo below.

on saturday we took it easy, slept in and ran some errands. the evening was spent eating a delicious meal with jered & mariah robinson and kristen dalton. then we hit balboa to see some christmas lights.

our night ended at the balboa candy shop. simply magical.

i love christmas time.

tis the season

2011-12-19T11:30:00.000-08:00

kimberly brought brylee over in her christmas pjs to surprise me. kimmy knows how much i love christmas. when we were browsing around target a while back i just about forced her to buy each and every christmas onesie they had.

pretty sure that was in october.

i'm obsessed. i know.

so of course i was ecstatic when i saw brylee girl's adorable outfit that she got from old navy. let's just hope i can find some as cute as this for our kiddos someday!

merry christmas!

thursday

2011-12-13T16:02:00.000-08:00

today is tuesday.

tomorrow is wednesday.

the day after that is thursday.

and thursday is a special day in our house.

on thursday at 5 o'clock in the evening tyler will take his final final exam.

words cannot express the excitement that i am feeling. tyler is very calm and quietly attending study groups, typing away on the laptop and preparing for his last days of school. i am so very proud of him. finishing his bachelors has in no way been an easy ride, but he has endured and in just a couple days he will be able to say he is a college grad. he will be the first man in his family and i was the first woman in my family. i am so glad that we will be able to tell our children that we both finished college while we were married, living in so cal and working. we worked hard and together we accomplished a very important goal.

i am so grateful to my husband for all of his hard work. someday, instead of working for the family business & running my photography business i will be able to quit my full time job to be home with our children while doing photography part time. i will be working, but the majority of my work will be in our home. but mr. rex will continue to work full time to provide for our family and i take great comfort in that. knowing that he will always be there to support me (in so many ways) just gives me a sense of peace.

i am just feeling really grateful for him today. grateful for who he is. grateful for who he has become. grateful for the knowledge that i get to keep him forever as long as i behave myself.

i'm excited for thursday, but even more excited for all the days after that.

the clausen family

2011-12-12T10:01:00.000-08:00

the clausen family photo shoot is up on the photography blog.

see more cuteness here.

sometimes

2011-12-07T10:00:00.000-08:00

sometimes life doesn't go according to plan. sometimes one tiny thing you do changes the course of a day, a relationship or possibly even the course of your life. sometimes life knocks you down. sometimes someone you thought was on your side really isn't. sometimes you feel like you have to prove yourself over and over again. sometimes they wont like you no matter how hard you try. sometimes people surprise you, in good ways and bad. sometimes you have to realize that things will never be the same.

sometimes you read a scripture and it is exactly what you need at that exact moment. sometimes your spouse does something sweet when you've had a long day. sometimes your sister just happens to be there to give you a hug when sadness ensues. sometimes you go in to renew your temple recommend and your stake president gives you the advice you didn't know you were looking for. sometimes you see new life & it restores your faith in humanity. sometimes you realize that no matter how lame life gets, no matter how many people turn their back, no matter how many times you fall down...

there is still a Heavenly Father and a Savior and they on your side.

i am so blessed to know that He loves me and you.

i am so blessed to know that all that bad stuff just doesn't matter.

so you think i'm not so great?

i have news for you... i. don't. care.

at this point in my life i can say that i am done trying to please others. i'm done trying to fit some mold of what others think i need to be. i am me. of course i am always changing in little ways, trying to be better, trying to learn from those around me, trying to strengthen my testimony & grow closer to my Heavenly Father, my savior and my husband.

to the people who have and continue to influence me for good i say...

i love you & you may never know how much you have really changed me.

to the people who cut me down, leave me out or judge me i say...

it's too bad that it had to be this way. i will no longer be held back by your negativity.

i have a lot to be thankful for. life is pretty good. but sometimes there are dark times.

President Monson says... the future is only as bright as your faith.

and i know that to be true.

things i love: christmas edition

2011-12-07T08:30:00.000-08:00

i got a coupon in the mail for the local beauty supply store so i treated myself to some new o.p.i holiday colors.

i am loving these!

the one on the left is french quarter for your thoughts

the one on the right is designer... de better!

a very she & him christmas.

loving this.

and these nordstrom shopping bags. they are SO cute!

i always love going to nordstrom and during christmas time i love it even more. it is so festive, it smells amazing and it just feels like christmas in there. i can't explain it. maybe it's just me, but the holiday season is not the same if i don't walk through norstrom at least once.

christmas is here

2011-12-05T13:30:00.000-08:00

well ladies and gentlemen... christmas has arrived over at the rex house. we have all our decorations up and the tree is decorated and lit.

i. am. in. love.

each time i open the door i am happy to be here. happy to have a cozy apartment to come home to after a long day. happy to have a warm snuggle partner. happy to breathe in the smells of the season.

friday night was wonderful. we had a sweet dinner date and headed to home depot for our tree. the first tree we spotted was the one. how did we get so lucky again? it was such a perfect tree, right at the front of the lot. i couldn't believe it was still there. maybe it was meant to be.

we got home, rearranged some furniture and got to decorating. i love it.

then we heard a knock at the door and much to our surprise we were greeted by our cousins, the daltons & brylee and kimberly! it was so much fun to visit with josh & laura who live up in san jose. i especially enjoyed feeding baby jared chocolate covered raisins. what can i say?

i'm a sucker for cute little boys.

after the daltons went home jay, kristen, brylee & kim stayed to watch movies and bake cookies. it was a wonderful night. definitely what the holiday season is all about.

just being together. being happy to be with one another. being grateful for our growing family.

we are so very blessed.

and my favorite ornament of the year...

we hope your christmas season is merry & bright!

our turkey day

2011-12-04T16:10:00.001-08:00

the weekend started with making pies over at my parents house.

i made my traditional pumpkin pie from a trader joes pumpkin, branched out and made some pumpkin snickerdoodles and an apple pie.

this was my first apple pie. i fell in love.

dad crashed the party and took us out for hibachi.

thursday we started at my parents house. it was brylee sue's first thanksgiving! mom read brylee christmas stories, the boys watched football, we played with brylee & ate a yummy meal.

thanks mom & dad.

then it was off to the rex/brady/forsgren dinner... everything was decorated super cute & there was quite a spread. and emerson & scarlett also got to experience their first thanksgiving!

hope you all had a great weekend. we had a few days of fun, spent friday together & then were struck with food poisoning on friday night & saturday. but we took care of each other, got to cuddle a lot and catch up on tv watchin'.

hopefully we are done being sick for a while so we can enjoy the holiday season & so tyler can finish his bachelors with as much strength as he can get!

tonight

2011-12-02T13:08:00.001-08:00

our 2010 christmas tree

tonight mr. rex and i are going on a date.

we will eat scrumptious food and then go pick out our christmas tree.

i am SO excited to have that delicious smell in our apartment.

i love walking in the door and breathing in that wonderful pine scent.

i. cant. wait.

winter

2011-11-29T19:59:00.000-08:00

today has been a rough day. and i fear that it isn't over yet. bad news keeps on coming and my brain works less and less as the minutes pass.

it's days like this when i need to be grateful for moments like these...

on a rainy sunday.

wearing our new beanies.

we had a bit of kissin' to do.

man i love this boy.

isn't he cute?

the weather is getting colder around here & this means more snuggling on long winter nights.

i. love. it.

and hopefully i will burn off all this negative energy in spin class tonight. if i get to the gym & spin is canceled you might just see me sitting in the corner crying. seriously.

the olson family.

2011-11-27T20:22:00.001-08:00

the olson family shoot is up on the photography blog. see more here.

it's time

2011-11-23T09:30:00.001-08:00

today is pie baking day. every year, on the night before thanksgiving my sisters, my mom and me all get together and make pies. i am so excited! and this year we have a new addition to the group... i wonder if i will want to bake anything with sweet little brylee hanging around.

Happy Thanksgiving!

run.bruxie.la.photos.starbucks.shabu.little tokyo.

2011-11-14T20:14:00.001-08:00

last saturday was a great day. one of the best. we woke up late. snuggled & read in bed. went for a 3 mile jog. headed to bruxie for brunch. they just opened a new location on birch street & we had to check it out. tyler had never been & i couldn't take him not knowing the goodness of bruxie any longer.

then we headed to la. i did the olsen's photo shoot & then we headed to little tokyo to make a dinner reservation to surprise tyler's dad for his 61st birthday. while we waited we stopped into starbucks to get our annual christmas cup of cocoa. we waited for the rest of our party to arrive while sipping our hot chocolate in the rain. it was magical.

then it was feast time. at shabu shabuyo. oh and judd is already wearing the shirt we gave him for his birthday... he is in the navy & tan plaid.

then it was shopping in little tokyo...

we found these little gems... they were white gloves & arm covers. we see ladies driving around with these all the time. it was funny to find them in the store.

brylee's blessing day

2011-11-14T19:19:00.001-08:00

our niece brylee sue clausen was blessed last sunday. it was a wonderful day for our family. we love this little girl & her parents so much. we all feel the joy she brings to our family. morgan did a wonderful job bestowing a blessing upon her. i am so grateful for the priesthood holders in our family.

brylee,

thanks for coming to our family. i love you SO much and we are so excited to watch you grow. thanks for making me laugh & letting me snuggle you.

love,

aunt amy

sneak a peek

2011-11-13T23:48:00.001-08:00

the olsen's family session is over here on the photography blog. you wont want to miss the cuteness. trust me.

amy rex photography

2011-11-11T09:12:00.001-08:00

good morning readers. i just wanted to let you know that my photography blog is up and running. if you are interested in checking out past photo shoots feel free, they are all there. there is also information regarding pricing and contact info.

i am very excited to have the blog up to date. it has been a long time coming and i am grateful for all of the people who have helped me build my portfolio.

to visit the site just click on the link at the top left of my personal blog or click here.

just a kiss

2011-11-09T10:51:00.000-08:00

it was 5 years ago today that i kissed that sweet face for the very first time. oh what a magical night it was. it was on a thursday night, after we watched the office and grey's anatomy (which is still a tradition of ours by the way). i remember him leaving for a weekend trip and leaving me wanting more kisses.

let's just say we kissed a lot the night he returned.

here's to many more years together and lots of kissin!

dance party

2011-11-07T10:17:00.000-08:00

tanne called me a few months ago reminding me how much we miss going to dances. we both wanted to do some sort of dance party with all of our married friends... i suggested having a halloween dance party. i tried to spread the word to some friends and we ended up pulling together and making it happen. we had a great crowd of people come boogie with us.
tyler and i went low budget this year so we didn't really coordinate costumes. he had all of his outfit components already - he said he was a farmer, but i think he looks a lot like Willard from Footloose. and i found my dress at a local thrift store for $4 and then bought some beads for my forehead... so my costume probably cost about $8 and just to clarify i am an indian princess... one of our friends thought i was Kim Kardashian.
the most popular costume of the night was cowboy/cowgirl with 6 people rocking their flannel & boots. we had an edward scissor hands, the 1%, a spoon, barbie & ken and vanilla ice. i'd have to give most creative and best over all costume to tara... she was a titanic victim... i'm smelling her lifevest in one of the photos below. and of course cutest costume goes to brylee sue as a lady bug!

thanks to everyone who came and made it such a fun night!

we love all of our friends and we are so lucky to have them around to party with us.

us against the world

2011-11-03T10:57:00.000-07:00

photo of our cozy little bedroom

before the rush of the day, before chores, before school, before to-do lists or studying. just the silent morning and the love that exists in this big bed. i didn't need an alarm to wake me, just tyler's cuddle. we chatted in bed as the sun beamed through the window. i made us eggs and toast. we drank orange juice. i listened to the new coldplay album as i did the dishes and tidied up the apartment while tyler scurried off to campus. i put away the folded laundry. i made the bed. i listened to the birds chirp. i breathed in the simple things of life that bring me joy. tyler, i love you. i know that i get worried & anxious about the future. the truth is that if i did nothing but live in this little apartment and re-live this same morning everyday for the rest of my life i would be satisfied, simply because you are by my side.

the position has been filled

2011-11-01T12:41:00.000-07:00

I found this impostor in my office today. I think she does my job better than I do.
I mean who wouldn't rather look at her as they enter the office everyday?
I'm glad Kimmy has a dentist appointment this afternoon so this little lady can help me get my work done... or distract me and prevent me from getting any work done.
Eh... either way I'll be just fine.

wake up to fall

2011-11-01T09:10:00.000-07:00

last night aunt steph and i went on a cost plus shopping adventure. we found this magical tea. it's caffeine free and it smells deliciously like fall. mmmmmm. when i left for work this morning i knew it would be chilly... perfect weather for a hot cup of tea. so i got into my office and brewed me some tea. now it smells like fall in here.

it smells like i want to turn right back around and go home to snuggle in my down comforter while i read a book and then proceed to drift to sleep.

by the way... we just brought the comforter back from it's summer quarters (under the bed in it's bag). i always get so excited to bring it out again... that means it's getting colder and that means Christmas is coming!

have a happy day. i might just be brewing tea all day.

a little visitor

2011-10-27T09:55:00.000-07:00

today i get to babysit this little lovely. so far i have fed her, got puked on a few times and put her to sleep. she is an angel. oh brylee sue... you're growing up so fast. it seems like just yesterday we were here...

i'm a little weird

2011-10-25T12:20:00.000-07:00

most people that know me, know that i am a little weird. kind of picky, anal or particular. i really try to be easy going, but it sometimes takes a conscious effort to do so. i am a planner, an organizer and i like things the way i like them. so as you can imagine i am the kind of person who sometimes gets in the mood to clean.

i bought the multi-purpose cleaner from trader joes on saturday and i am in love. it smells amazing, it works great and hey, it got me excited about cleaning. so i went to work on my apartment the other night.

i kind of felt like monica. i even cleaned my vacuum during above mentioned cleaning spree. some may think i am kind of a sad human being, i on the other hand take pride in my tidiness.

happy cleaning friends!

a chamber in your heart

2011-10-18T09:43:00.000-07:00

I am seriously loving this right now. Really, loving this. I have watched it at least 5 times and I still get the chills every time.

hanging out in long beach

2011-10-10T12:53:00.000-07:00

we live close to a plethora of really cool cities. tyler decided to hang out in long beach while I did a little bit of running. well, a lot of running actually. sometimes I wonder what the heck I was thinking signing up for this, but I did and there was no way a person like me could back down. so for the second time in my life I ran 13.1 miles. kind of crazy, very painful, but thrilling in a way. Tyler got some sweet shots of the city while I ran.

but let me tell you a little bit about this whole decision. so I decided to sign up for this LB Half Marathon a couple months ago and I was super pumped about it. I started training and it felt really good to get back into the groove of running. I trained up to 8 miles, it was a great run. then the next week I got debilitating cramps, then the next week I got the stupid flu/cold. so my plan was to train to 11 miles like I did last year for the OC Half, but I missed the 9 mile run & the 10 mile run. so I had one more free day for a big run the week before last. I was coming off of being sick and I decided to run 10. bad idea. I was going strong for about 5 miles and I hit a major wall. I felt nauseas when I first woke up so I had 1 piece of toast, a glass of milk and a glass of water before I ran. that was definitely not enough nourishment for a 10 mile run. what was I thinking? stupid. so I walked for a while hoping I would eventually feel better, stopped at a fast food place for water and kept walking. I felt like crap, I was embarrassed and so tired.

I was just thinking, "maybe Tyler will randomly drive by and save me? I do not have the energy to walk all the way home now and I have an appointment to get to in like 30 minutes, there's NO way I'm going to make it home in time to shower & get there... this seriously stinks." all of a sudden I see Tyler riding away on his bike across the street. I yell for him and he waits for me. I couldn't believe it. How did he know I needed him at that exact moment?

He told me he had gotten out of class early and wanted to check on me because he knew with me being sick I might have trouble. what a miracle. he gave me some money to buy some water and a snack at cvs and I waited there for him to ride home, get the car and pick me up. I made it home in time to shower and get to my appointment on time. it's moments like that where I'm reminded how much Tyler means to me and just how much Heavenly Father knows me and knows when I need help. it was such a special experience.

so, to make a long story even longer, I didn't train past 8 miles. last time I did a half I trained up to 11 miles. I definitely wasn't prepared this time around. I really didn't want to do it just out of the fear of not being able to finish without walking. I did not want to walk. I felt really calm and relaxed about it all though, to me it seemed like a lack of motivation, but in reality I think it was a blessing because being calm really helped.

The traffic getting to the race was terrible. I had Tyler drop me off as close as possible, I booked it to the port a potties and got to the starting line just in time to start with the last wave, I was supposed to be in wave 5, but started with wave 7. Maybe that's why I passed SO many walkers. It was really annoying actually. there were times when there were 5 walkers blocking the entire path, I had to weave through tons and tons of walkers. seriously? I'm cool with you walking, just not if you create a blockade. Here is a picture of me trying to get around all the walkers. super lame.

Tyler was able to see me once around mile 6 and then I didn't see him until after I crossed the finish line and made it through the crowds.

and guess what??? I didn't walk! I was SO proud of myself. I did finish about 10 minutes slower than last year, but considering my lack of training, I was still really happy I didn't walk at all.

some +/- during the race, listed in no particular order:

- perfume/cologne. seriously? you put on that stank so that you could run around and sweat for a couple hours? thanks for causing me to gag and gasp for clean air while I ran 13.1 miles. you're annoying.

- see through stretchy pants. hey lady, thanks for showing me your freaking thong and butt cheeks around mile 10. I thoroughly enjoyed that, really. nope, not really. not really at all.

+ not walking or having to go to the bathroom during the race. this was the best. last time I had to wait in line, do my business and then try to pull my sweaty pants back up. not easy and not fun. so overjoyed that I got to skip that this time around.

- big man with donuts. really? we're all trying to run marathons and half marathons and you're handing out donut holes on the sidelines? thanks, but no thanks. the smell nearly caused me to puke. I know you were just trying to be nice, but it's kind of a strange thing to be serving at a fitness event.

- walkers. how could i forget about you. a very special thanks goes to the 5 walkers who created a blockade as we ran along the bike path on the beach. no, I didn't want to run in the sand to pass you. instead I had to watch for a gap and speed up to try and pass in time so as to not knock anyone over. you were really courteous. thanks.

+ the man with the sign that said "if your feet hurt it's probably cuz you're kicking asssssssphalt". it actually made me run a little faster. thanks for the motivation. you're awesome.

- the traffic jam getting to the race. thanks to you I just about pooped my pants. I really appreciated that.

+ port a potties. thank you for giving me a place besides my little running pants to relieve myself. I appreciate it more than you know.

- the flavored water at the finish line. for real? you don't have regular water??? I just got done running for the last couple hours and you're gonna give me this weird sugar water? do you want me to puke on you? I was about to drink out of their ice chest.

+ Tyler being there for me and encouraging me even when I didn't have the motivation to do this race. he is a great cheer leader and I love him to pieces.

and by the way, now that Tyler knows where to get funnel cakes year round we may be visiting long beach a lot more often. let us know if you love funnel cakes too and you can join us!

conference weekend

2011-10-10T11:05:00.000-07:00

Just in case you were wondering... we had a very cozy conference weekend. It consisted of lots of yummy food (made by yours truly), naps, inspiration, wearing pj's and not showering until the late afternoon.

As always I made a pan omelet & blueberry muffins for brunch and then for Sunday dinner I decided to cook a whole chicken in the crock pot. it. was. incredible. And don't worry, it was so easy. I just put olive oil in the bottom of the crock pot, put the
de-gibleted/rinsed chicken in, put some more e.v.o.o. on top along with s&p & a packet of onion soup mix. For a little extra flavor I also put some chopped onion in the cavity & sprinkled on top. I cooked it on high for 6 hours and it literally fell off the bone when I tried to serve it. I also made some cooked carrots and corn bread stuffing. Thank you trader joes. Man, I love conference weekend.

Can you tell I'm excited for the holidays by all the cooking?

Tanne & Trevor

2011-10-06T14:25:00.000-07:00

Our dear cousins Tanne & Trevor got married in August. I had my new camera and snapped a few photos. We are SO happy for them and we were so happy to have spent that wonderful day with them. Here are just a few of my favorites from the day.

maybe this is why

2011-10-01T12:31:00.000-07:00

sometimes I wonder why I have grown to love the fall season so much. I was looking through some old photos yesterday and I think I know why...

I wish I could wear that dress and live that time all over again. Being engaged wasn't always the smoothest time... we all know what a picky pants/diva I can be, but it really was so exciting.

I miss my wedding dress. I want to wear it everyday.

By the way... I'm really enjoying general conference so far. Hope you are too. If you don't know what general conference is, visit LDS.org and find out more. Your soul will be uplifted and you will be happier. Promise.

love

2011-09-30T12:38:00.000-07:00

Like most women I think babies are cute & I oooh and ahhh at them when they are especially adorable. I mean as long as they aren't barfing on me or having a blow out diaper situation they tend to cause my uterus to ache a bit. Sometimes I think, "No way Amy, that will be waaaaaaay too crazy... just wait a bit longer, until you think you're really ready to give up your entire life." and then I snuggle with a sweet baby and I think, "Hey, you could do this. Maybe you could do it and be great at it. Just maybe."

I think about becoming a mother a lot. I think it's mostly because there are SO many things that go into the decision of becoming a parent and I am the type of person that wants to know as much as possible about what I'm getting myself into. Not that I expect to be able to predict all possible situations, but I do want to be as prepared as possible. And mostly, I feel that at some point I should be mentally ready for the idea of dedicating my entire life, body & home to my child.

For now I'm really enjoying the fact that Tyler and I can pretty much do whatever we want whenever we want, a luxury I'm sure I'll miss when children enter the picture. And although the aching in my uterus is usually caused by spending time with my pregnant friends & family or their children, I also really like being able to spend time with said friends and family without having to worry about a baby. Then that last thought makes me feel like a bad person... like having a baby is torture or something?

Yes, I know I really know nothing about being a parent, but watching people I know go through parenthood helps me get a glimpse of the way life could be. It seems to me that the good simply continues to weigh out the bad. Plus, I really don't think many things are better than snuggling with my sweet niece and she alone has made my uterus ache more than any other child has. I love her SO much I can't even imagine how much I will love my own little pumpkin someday.

The way her hand is holding my arm just melts my heart. Seriously. I love her.

*picture of me and my niece Brylee at our cousin Justin's mission farewell lunch

finally!!!

2011-09-28T14:48:00.000-07:00

After a few days of listening to a nice little shuffle on Pandora... one of the stations being Christmas of course, I mean come on, this is me we're talking about here... "Last Christmas" by Taylor Swift finally came on. Let's just say I bumped my measly little computer speakers for a couple minutes of bliss during my work day.

I want to go Christmas tree shopping.

stache bash

2011-09-26T09:59:00.000-07:00

On Saturday Tyler and I attended a 30th Birthday Stache Bash for a friend from our ward. Tyler has known about this party for months, hence the reason for him growing a beard and then rocking this horrendously cool stache for a few days. Bad news is... I really miss his beard, good news is... he won best overall mustache at the party.

pumpkins, leaves and candles

2011-09-23T18:57:00.000-07:00

Well it looks like fall over here my friends. I can't really explain just how happy the fall makes me. I am SO excited for the cold weather and for the holidays that follow this blessed season. Although this week brought me a lovely cold I am finally feeling better & got the urge to decorate and it just makes me happy. Hopefully it gets colder soon so I can bust out my scarfs, beanies and coats.

Happy Autumn to all of you!

i'm not so sure that this is going to work

2011-09-20T15:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday after work I pitched an idea to Tyler. I decided we should try to not eat out for an entire week. 7. whole. days. Eating out is bad for our wallets as well as our waistlines so we thought we would give it a try and see how we handle it.

This is going to be rough. We really enjoy eating out, especially on the weekends after we've worked hard all week long. And as the head chef of the household I'm trying to keep the meals simple so I don't become overwhelmed with the task of cooking everyday. For 7 days!

Wish us luck. We started last night and we will finish monday night and probably celebrate our accomplishment by eating out that evening.

By the way, just doing this post made me seriously hungry & now I really want Yogurtland.

Great!

loving this

2011-09-16T11:38:00.000-07:00

I'm a little grumpy as I sit here at my desk wishing it was quitin' time already.

But don't you worry about me, I am getting excited as I look out my window and see gray skies and no sunshine. Sounds depressing to some, but to me it means that fall is coming and this, for me, is very exciting.

This means I can start wearing my cardigans again (without sweating like a beast). I can also wear my boots, tights and socks again. Ahhh... I LOVE the fall. I cannot wait for trader joe's apple cider, candy corn and pumpkins.

If you're wondering, I will definitely be putting out my fall decor by September 23rd (the day Autumn begins)... but let's be real here, it will most likely happen before then.

Yesterday as I was walking to my car after dinner I got this surge of excitement and I thought "Why am I excited right now?" and then it hit me... I was snuggling into my sweater as the cool breeze hit me. Then I realized... the cold weather means the holidays are coming.

I. can't. wait.

you asked so i'll tell you

2011-09-14T08:17:00.000-07:00

There have been a few people who are still inquiring about my crazy post from a while back. So for those of you who are still wondering what this crazy act was I will tell you.

I finally bought myself a professional level camera. Since my purchase I have participated in a workshop, done a couple shoots and gotten to know this little baby. I've still got a lot of learning to do, but I'm feeling more confident as I continue to learn more about my camera & myself as a photographer. I am SO very excited about getting another step closer to building my photography business. Now lets just hope Tyler lands a sweet job when he graduates in December so I can work less & photograph more!

malibu

2011-09-13T10:34:00.000-07:00

We had ourselves a little sleep over at the Olsen's a few weeks back. Friday night we hit up Spitz for dinner, went to LA Live & saw Crazy Stupid Love (we also saw Bam while we were walking around... he is a VERY little man, in case you were wondering) and then Saturday morning we hiked in Malibu. It was a glorious day.

the fourth

2011-09-13T10:06:00.000-07:00

This year for the fourth of July we hit up the Goodwin's backyard bbq... basically the largest most beautiful home I have ever been to. They put on a great party.

After that we headed to the park for fireworks.

Surprise

2011-09-13T09:02:00.000-07:00

You may remember my brother from when I posted about his broken leg about 6 months ago. About a week before he turned 16 he broke both the bones in his leg, had surgery and was on crutches for what seemed like a VERY long time. SO, since we didn't really get to throw him a party on his birthday my mom pulled one together (once he got off his crutches) and surprised him. Here are just a few of the great photos from that party. It was really fun... we even played pin the lips on jack (notice the life size digital print of my brother in a few of the pics), that's the benefit of working for a signage/graphics company.

Anyway, I love my brother and I'm really glad he finally got to have a sweet 16.

birthday

2011-09-13T08:49:00.000-07:00

I keep forgetting that I forgot to blog my birthday events. And since this blog is basically my journal I feel that I should finally put this 24th birthday on the record.

On my actual birthday, in lieu of Tyler buying me a gift, I got permission to get a massage & go shopping. That night Tyler brought me red roses and a card & took me out to dinner at Houstons. We ended the night with a redbox and snuggle sesh. It was an amazing day.

This was most of my birthday loot... I totally scored this year.

That weekend we decided to ride our bikes to the beach, just the two of us. It was really fun to spend that time together enjoying the beautiful weather and hanging out at the beach.

Expressions of Love

2011-08-31T11:18:00.000-07:00

I came across this on a blog I follow and thought I should share it with you.

Whenever I read that talk or hear Elder Scott talk about his wife it gets me excited for my future with Tyler. I already cannot imagine life without him by my side and we have only been married for a few years. I am excited to see how much our love will grow as time goes on.

Hopefully we can all show our spouses a little bit more love today and everyday.

our weekend with amanda

2011-08-30T18:08:00.000-07:00

We had a visitor last weekend. Here's what we did.

Thursday night I picked up my dear friend Amanda Carter from the airport for her weekend visit. We headed straight for In-n-Out per her request. Then we went to visit Kimmy and Brylee. Amanda gave her some super cute outfits... she's gonna have to grow into the hat.

Friday Tyler had to work, but for Amanda and I it was off to the magic kingdom. Then it was off to bj's for dinner with the Pitts family.

Saturday was an amazing day. One of the best days in a long time. I woke up, then tyler and I went back to bed for an hour and snuggled, I went on a 6 mile jog, made a killer smoothie for breakfast, we all ate together at in-n-out for lunch and then Amanda and I hit the mall. We had plenty of time to browse (no boys hurrying us along), we got a bunch of cute stuff without breaking the bank and Amanda even got a haircut. We came back to get ready for our dinner reservations at houston's. It was fantastic as expected. It was SUCH a wonderful day, one of those that isn't really planned at all yet somehow it all ends up working out perfectly... I love it when that happens.

Sunday we went to church, had cinnamon rolls with our primary kids and had a nice crock pot dinner before playing games with the Pitts family.

Amanda and I have been friends for over 20 years now. Her family lived across the street from me until they moved to Kansas after we graduated 8th grade. Most people would have lost contact with so much distance between then and time passing, but not us. We have one of those special bonds where no matter how much time has passed in between phone conversations or visits it's just like we never left each other. She came to our wedding. She graduated college and got a big job in Chicago and lives on her own in the city. A lot of things have changed. It seems like just yesterday we were playing barbies & dancing to Thriller in her living room. I cannot really express how happy it makes me that she and I are still friends. I cannot imagine life without Amanda and her family. She has taught me so much over the years and I am so grateful for our friendship. I can't wait to see what the next 20 years will bring for the two of us.

We love you Amanda. We owe you a visit and we can't wait to come to the windy city sometime soon!

the last first

2011-08-23T09:52:00.000-07:00

Guess who?

Ya, that's my husband. He is the most adorable kid I have ever seen. And today is a very momentous day in his life.

Today, Tyler is all grown up. He is starting his last first day of his bachelor's degree. I am SO proud of him. It has been a long, difficult, frustrating, crazy road, but he has stuck with it and I couldn't be happier for him.

Tyler,

I love you more than you will ever know. You are such an amazing person and I am lucky to have you in my life. I am so proud of you for finishing your degree even when it would have been much easier to give up. You have heart. You are a strong man and I am so blessed to be with you everyday. I am so excited for our future together. I know you will continue to be a great provider for our future family. And I can't wait to see what the future will bring for our little twosome.

Love,
Your Wifey

they tri

2011-08-23T09:09:00.000-07:00

This year Tyler and Devin decided to compete in the Camp Pendleton Triathlon once again. The weather was great. Baby Brekyn behaved. We got to see a lot of friends who competed also. And we got to hang out with the Dicksons which is always a blast.

Good job boys! I think I speak for Shira as well when I say we are two lucky ladies! We're so proud of you two for all your manly ventures.

surge

2011-08-17T15:08:00.000-07:00

You know that feeling you get every once in a while? That surge of gratitude for something or someone in your life. Maybe it's when you're driving around on a lunch break with your hubbie drinking an ice cold beverage. Maybe it's when you're sitting at the dinner table with your family. Maybe it's when you're singing Christmas carols. Maybe it's when you're laughing so hard your stomach hurts.
No matter when or how it happens to you, I think you know what I mean.

That feeling of overwhelming happiness for life in it's current state.

Today I got one of those, but it was for the future. For the future of being a mom. Of being able to hold my baby in my arms and that baby being a product of the overwhelming love and happiness that Tyler and I share together. Maybe it isn't going to happen tomorrow or next month or next year. But it will happen.

she's a daughter

2011-08-09T12:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my sister Kimberly and her husband Morgan became parents. I was able to sit in the room, camera in hand, as the miracle of life occurred right before my eyes. It was the most indescribable experience of my life and I will do my best to never forget the joy that was felt in that room as that sweet baby girl entered the world. As soon as she was in the doctor's hands we were all struck with instant happiness. It was seriously one of the best days ever. Kimberly handled labor amazingly. I am SO proud of her. She got induced around 8 am, progressed throughout the day, got an epidural in the late afternoon, by 8:40 pm she was pushing and by 9:21 pm she was born.

My niece is seriously the prettiest baby I have ever seen. I cannot get over how amazing she is and she looks just like her mom. It's hard to put into words the feelings that were felt yesterday. As I was editing the photos this morning I got choked up all over again. I am so grateful that Kimberly and Morgan wanted me to take photos of their special day and I'm so grateful for their love and kindness. To be an eternal family is truly a blessing. I think it's moments like these that put so many things into perspective and it gets me really excited for my turn to become a mommy. Morgan was an amazing coach for Kimberly and seeing them get through this experience made me realize just how much Tyler means to me.

Brylee, we have been waiting for you for a long time and we are so excited to watch you live your life. Thank you for coming to earth and for teaching our family a little more about life and what it's all about.

Brylee Sue Clausen.
Born 8.8.11.
7 pounds 3 ounces.
21 inches long.

More photos to come...

crazy

2011-08-03T14:38:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you have to get a little crazy or you'll just go crazy. I thought I might be a little nervous when I made a certain choice today, but I wasn't. I'm so excited to tell you all about it.

No, it's not acting crazy with my lady friends in Apple Country.

It's not acting crazy and eating all that cotton candy then dancing like a fool at my friend's wedding reception.

It's not crazy like doing the ragnar relay (can't wait for next year by the way).

Nor is it crazy like riding your bike to 711 at midnight and purchasing a double gulp and oreos.

And I don't want to spoil the surprise so for now I'll just anxiously await the arrival of something pretty darn special to me. Things are looking up my friends. So stay tuned.

ouch

2011-08-02T23:44:00.001-07:00

Today after work I headed to Kimmy's to keep her company while she waits for baby Brylee to make her appearance. She's on bed rest so there isn't much she can do other than lay on her side all day long. We played scrabble, I let her cheat, I won, we ate pizza, watched Father of the Bride Part II and we all (including Morgan) got teary eyed and then we watched the Switch.

Brylee... when are you coming to meet us? Your mother is getting a little sick of this whole couch potato thing and I think we will all sleep better when we're not wondering when you will decide to come out and greet us. P.S. We love you!

guess what?

2011-08-01T23:43:00.000-07:00

Tyler's sister Jessica and her Husband Mike became foster parents again today. Earlier today they picked up a 3 week old baby girl. It isn't for sure that they will keep her permanently (the social workers are still checking out family members), but things look promising. Her given name is Summer, if they keep her they will probably give her a name that they have chosen. I sure hope she can stay. She is a real cutie and seeing her older brothers with her is really special.

Did I mention that today is Aaron's 5th birthday? What a wonderful gift.

We couldn't be happier to have all these new little ones added to our family. We got Emerson Stone Smith a couple weeks ago, Summer today and Kimberly is due to have her baby this Saturday. 3 babies in 3 weeks!

the double t's

2011-08-01T09:48:00.000-07:00

Tanne & Trevor are getting married. Lisa Dalton threw her a beautiful shower and Tanne asked me to take some photos for her. I was happy to.

Lisa did an amazing job... it was the prettiest shower I have ever been to! She even did all those floral arrangements herself.

Thanks for letting me be a special part of your day Tanne. So glad we're cousins now! I pretty much hit the jackpot when I married Tyler... I got tons more awesome cousins, aunts and uncles. Can't wait for August 13th T & T! We are SO happy for you!

remind me

2011-07-27T08:52:00.000-07:00

Tags: Remind Me, Brad Paisley with Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley with Carrie Underwood Videos

all i want is cookie dough

2011-07-22T15:53:00.000-07:00

How did I get through this long work day you ask?

(me=pam, tyler=jim)

I browsed Anthropologie's website and ordered myself some lovely items that were on sale and we rode with the windows down as I sipped my iced tea/lemonade on our lunch break.

And due to the lovely blessing of being a woman I have been uncomfortable ALL day long and seriously will be falling asleep on the couch as soon as we get home from work.

Then I think I will bake that lauren cookie dough that I have stashed in my freezer for a rainy day.

That's right. It's raining here in my office.

coronado

2011-07-19T10:12:00.000-07:00

We LOVE San Diego. We went with my family to Coronado to celebrate my Papa's birthday and had a blast. Watch and learn.

We ate at Lefty's

We hung out at the pool

We went to the Corvette Diner

We played with our new toy... we love our new MacBook Pro

We played cards in the hotel lobby

Morgan swam in the hotel fountain

We hit up the pool for a late night swim

We rode the wave runners... the boys had an especially good time

We rode bikes and laughed and laughed and laughed

she was showered

2011-07-17T13:22:00.000-07:00

My mom, little sister and I threw my big sister Kimberly a baby shower. It was beautiful. She is glowing and we are all SO excited for her baby girl to come meet us. She is due August 6th and I don't know how much longer I can stand it. I guess as long as I have to. Now that Julia has had her baby boy I am even more excited for baby girl to come. I love all of my nieces and nephews from the Rex side, but I cannot wait to have a niece from the Pitts side.

Kimmy,

I love you and I couldn't be happier for you. Every time the phone rings I hope it's you telling me you're in labor and that sometime soon I'll get to meet your daughter. I am so happy that someday soon a very special spirit will come to earth to join our family and to make you a mother. Maybe Grandma & Grandpa Pitts are with her right now sharing their wisdom and telling her stories about us when we were babies. I know you will be an amazing mother and I look forward to learning from you just like I always have.

Love,
Your baby sister

new life

2011-07-15T13:57:00.000-07:00

Our newest nephew has arrived. I snagged the above photo from my MIL's fb. Hopefully there will be more to come. He doesn't have a name yet, but he sure is a cutie! I cannot wait to smooch those precious cheeks. Julia is doing good and so is baby boy.

jungle red

2011-07-15T10:36:00.000-07:00

The following are reasons for my happiness today:

-As of a few minutes ago I have a brand new nephew. Congrats Julia & Aaron! I CANNOT wait to meet your little man and smother him with kisses!

-Husband reads my mind sometimes. Explanation: work is boring and lame on Fridays so he came into my office and told me he wanted to leave & go out to lunch (exactly what I was thinking) and then After a while I thought of where I want to go. Minutes later he comes into my office and whispers into my ear "How about we go to King's" (exactly what I was thinking). Amazing!!!

-My dark red nail polish.

-Dinner & games with good friends tonight.

-My new nephew. Yes. He gets two spots on the list.

i don't know why

2011-07-13T14:22:00.000-07:00

Let me preface this post by saying...the thought of having a baby/raising a child at this particular junction in my life scares the heck out of me. Now that's not to say that I never want to dive into the terribly exciting/scary/difficult adventure that is parenthood, because I do, but I plan on doing it when life looks like this (tyler is done with school, has a job that can cover both our salaries, moving to a bigger(hopefully cuter) place WITH a washer & dryer) instead of this (me working all day everyday at a relatively high stress job (that I appreciate and kind of enjoy most of the time), tyler working whenever he isn't at school and studying whenever he isn't doing either of the aforementioned activities, paying tuition... saying "there goes our savings" every few months). I would also like to add that I accompanied my sister's new baby care class with her last night since Morgan was out of town... it's frightening how such an experience can make you want a baby and NOT want a baby at the exact same time.

Due to a lack of activity at work (rare) and severe boredom (also rare) I began to tangle myself in a web of blogs of all kinds. I lingered for a long while here.

Think I may try this idea on my current book shelf with some scrap booking paper

LOVE this Jenny Lind Crib in white and of course I want the matching changing table... I looked it up on CSN and it's really affordable.

I love that this nursery has little pops of color instead of pastel overload

where to find me...

2011-07-07T08:36:00.000-07:00

Come tomorrow I will not be sitting in this office, nor will I be doing any sort of work. Unless riding bikes, eating yummy food, laying by the pool or basking in the hot tub is considered work.

These are a couple pics from last year's trip to Coronado Island... and I'm just fine with doing just what I did last year.

Yes. I am a 15 year old girl.

2011-07-07T08:26:00.000-07:00

Yes. I went to the NKOTBSB concert last night.

Yes. This is my favorite backstreet boys song/video. Yes. My voice is a little raspy today due to all my brilliant singing along to this and every other song last night .

Yes. I just mentioned the Backstreet boys on my blog.

Yes. Nick Carter, I still have a 15 year old girl crush on you after all these years.

And yes. I will be listening to Backstreet Boys radio all day today.

Capitola

2011-06-29T17:14:00.000-07:00

We went up to Santa Cruz to visit Tyler's cousin Spencer Brady and to meet up with our other cousins Spencer and Ashley Rex. While there we stayed with Spencer Brady at his sweet waterfront condo in Capitola. It was amazing. Friday morning I went on an hour jog and didn't hit ONE signal light. I just cruised through the beach town and hugged the coast. It was probably my favorite run of all time. The trip was complete with Pleasure Pizza, Spencer Brady's first EVER funnel cake at the boardwalk, watching the Spencer's surf, visiting with Josh & Laura and the kiddos, an attempt to whale watch & ending up nauseated, oysters, pizza & hot chocolate with Lauren, San Jose Earthquakes game where our good friend Steve Lenhart scored an amazing goal & got us in for free, and an amazing brunch at Gayles Bakery (just about the cutest place I have ever been to). I also enjoyed not caring about what time it was for three whole days!!!

i love this

2011-06-24T09:38:00.000-07:00

(Our favorite couple shot from the Rex Family photo shenanigans)

Yesterday I decided to take it easy in my work out and do a yoga class. The class was great, as yoga always is, it was exactly what I needed. At the end we were in the open heart pose and the instructor told us to take time to think about what we are grateful for. I thought I would share some of my gratitude with you.
I'm grateful for that yoga class that made me stop & ponder. I am grateful for a husband who loves me no matter how much of a stinker I am. I'm grateful that when I had a long hard day at work he knew that turning on Iron & Wine radio and lighting my volcano candle would calm me down and make me happy. I'm grateful to live in a beautiful place and for the blooming flowers. I'm grateful that my niece kicks me when I put my hand on Kimmy's belly. I'm grateful for my cute nephews who get excited when we come see them at swimming lessons. I'm grateful for the opportunity to be calm and relaxed whenever I practice yoga. And this may sound cheesy, but I always feel so much more connected to my body and spirit after a yoga class, it's like therapy. To end my work out I rode my bike home and soaked in the cool breeze and the sunshine.

And of course I'm grateful that today is Friday! Hope you have a happy weekend!

i can hardly wait

2011-06-23T22:00:00.000-07:00

I had the privilege of taking maternity photos for my sister Kimberly and her hubbie Morgan. I cannot really describe to you just how excited I am for my sister. I am so excited to meet my niece and I am so happy for her and Morgan to be parents. I am so blessed to have such great family that is just going to keep on growing! Brylee Sue Clausen is scheduled to greet the world the first week of August and I am seriously counting down. I think she is coming early... I'll let you know what happens.

Rex Family Weekend

2011-06-23T21:31:00.000-07:00

The last weekend in May was spent with Tyler's family. Ryan, Kristen, Taylor & Dylan came from Hawaii and Julia, Aaron & our almost Nephew came from Utah. It was SO much fun to have everyone together. It was SO fun to be around some of our favorite people pretty much all day everyday. We also couldn't get enough of our niece Dylan who has grown up so fast... It's so hard to be so far away from her during the first few years of her life so we soaked up every moment.

The weekend was complete with some reading of stories (during which Dylan actually corrected Tyler... priceless), a bike ride, a picnic at the park, an adult only date night, a birthday party for Owen & Dylan, a beach day, family photos and lots of yummy food thrown in there.

I am so thankful for the wonderful people I know and love because I married my sweetheart. I am a lucky lady.

a little birdie told me...

2011-06-23T20:59:00.000-07:00

While my sister in law Julia & the rest of the Rex siblings were in town we threw a baby shower for her and her baby boy who is scheduled to arrive in July. It was so fun to celebrate her and we cannot wait to meet our nephew!

Graduation Day

2011-06-21T09:03:00.000-07:00

Graduation day was awesome. Lots of family at the ceremony and even more family and friends at the party later that evening. It was great to know that so many people love and support me. What an amazing day. I will never forget it. Thank you to everyone who made it such a memorable day!

The Clifford Kids

2011-06-19T22:33:00.000-07:00

My wonderful cousins asked me to take their family photos for their pops for Father's Day. I am pretty pleased with the results and of course it was so much fun being with them and giggling with them on a beautiful afternoon at the park. Thanks for thinking of me. I'm always happy when my friends and family choose me to capture their lives.

and now for some of my favorite group shots...

and my personal favorite...

Mother's Day

2011-06-19T22:09:00.000-07:00

we had a great time spending the day with our mothers. We had lunch with my family and then dinner and dessert with the Bradys. I am so grateful for both of our mothers who have always worked hard for their families in so many different ways. We are so lucky to have such amazing women in our lives. I am also grateful for all women who are mothers, specifically women who have blessed my life immensely through their meek yet profound examples. I am also grateful for my sister Kimberly who is already a better mom than she thinks she is. I cannot wait to meet my niece in August and I know Kimberly will be an amazing mother. I can't wait to see her with her daughter.

guess who came to greet us?

2011-06-18T00:22:00.000-07:00

Brekyn Marie Dickson came to greet the world in all her glory and cuteness on April 25th. We got to meet her and then I got to take her newborn/birth announcement photos. She is such a sweetheart and I cannot wait to see how her little spirit develops. We also got to be at her baby blessing last weekend and it was very special. Her daddy did a wonderful job of pronouncing a memorable blessing upon her. I am so grateful for the priesthood power on the earth and it's power to bring the spirit into my life.

the $ egg

2011-06-18T00:11:00.000-07:00

On Easter Sunday we stopped by Tyler's parent's house for some Easter festivities. Aunt Steph and I hid some eggs and one golden egg that contained $1 bill. Aaron found it, Luke was mad and Owen kept dropping all of his eggs. It was great fun.

Happy Days

2011-06-18T00:06:00.000-07:00

Seriously? This is just sad. I am seriously posting about Easter. Here are some pics of our annual Stout family easter egg hunt & brunch. It was a pleasure as always to be in the company of such wonderful family from my mom's side.

Counting Down

2011-06-17T10:54:00.000-07:00

So... I know I haven't updated in like forever, but I have been super duper busy my friends. For those of you who still frequent this blog I promise I will be catching you up on all of our family happenings, but for now I am just going to spill some of my feelings as of late.
Tyler is almost done with school. We are seriously counting down the days. Lately it has been pretty rough due to the fact that he is taking a summer course and his teacher is insane and assigns like 100 pages of reading every night. It's hard to be living in a one bedroom with the computer and the television in the same room. Tyler goes from reading on the couch to the computer to do his stupid journal entries for each chapter that he reads. Basically it's hard because after a long day of working, then going to the gym, I just want to relax and watch some TV, but I can't because he is studying. It's not like I'm mad at him, of course I know his education is the priority, but I just want this phase of life to be over. He is taking two more summer classes from July to August so it's going to be crazy, but again, I know it's worth it.
Lately I have just been so excited for the future. I cannot wait until Tyler is done with school (if all goes according to plan that will be in December... exactly 6 months from now). I seriously cannot wait. I am so excited for him to get a new job and do something that he is passionate about. I am SO excited to think more seriously about starting a family and moving into a bigger place... with a washer & dryer PLEASE!!! I'm even more excited about actually being able to save $$$$! I am grateful that we can pay his tuition without going into debt, but it sure would be nice if all those thousands of dollars were going into our savings account instead of California's bank account. I don't really know how to explain it, but I just get excited every time I think about it.
But the good thing is that in July, when Tyler registers for the Fall semester it will be our LAST tuition payment ever!!! Well at least until he goes to grad school. :)
I keep telling Tyler, according to him I say it everyday, how excited I am for him to be finished with his bachelors. I'm just ready for a change. I want to move somewhere new, decorate a new place, and be done with school. I feel like life will be so much happier! I Can't wait!

How Did This Happen?

2011-05-20T11:40:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning I am graduating college. Tomorrow will be a magical day. Tomorrow I will do something I always said I would do. I am so excited. I am so grateful. I am so lucky to have been given the ability to endure the years of endless exams, papers, studying and stress of college. My life is forever changed by the experiences I have had while I attended college. I have been blessed with countless friendships and endless amounts of knowledge. I can't help to think about President Hinkley, who encouraged all of us to get all the education we can. Well Gordon B... I did it. Thanks for your help.

Also, Grandma Sue & Grandpa Jack... I love you. Thank you for helping me get through college. I don't know if I would have done it without your help. I miss you everyday. I know you are proud of me and I wish more than anything that you were here so I could tell you how much I love you.

Who knew that that little girl would grow up and graduate college someday? And Magna Cum Laude? I surely didn't.

Ragnar So Cal

2011-05-13T12:07:00.000-07:00

First off I have to say... it would take far too long to explain to you all of the craziness that is the past two months and the next two months. So here I am playing catch up on the blog. Hope you enjoy. Hope I don't go another month without updating. We shall see.

Let's start with the weekend of April 15th.

First we did the Ragnar Relay. I will say that I figured this relay would be no big deal. I was wrong. Let me explain. Each team has 12 members, each member has 3 legs and all 36 legs add up to 200 miles. We ran from Huntington Beach to Coronado Island in a matter of roughly 36 hours. I was runner 1. I got to finish each of my legs first. It was grand. Tyler was runner 12. He got to be the one running into the finish line. We had two vans that had to meet every runner at the exchanges where the runner would finish and the next runner would start. We figured we would have down time. We brought movies, books & music. We didn't use any of it. Friday wasn't bad. We all ran well and that night we slept for a couple hours, girls in the van, guys out on the grass. We ran again. We ate a little. I finished my last leg early Saturday morning and then waited for the rest of our team to finish. We slept in a park for a few hours. Ate McDonalds for breakfast. I still feel guilty. Had a bums shower in the bathroom of a gas station. Medicated ourselves before each of our legs. Tyler almost got in a fight with some idiot in an RV ... "You wanna Go?". We all realized it was a lot more intense than we had planned.

I Ran 15.7 miles with a major toe injury and I nearly started to cry on my last leg. The beginning was all uphill, my toe was seriously killing me and I got maybe two hours of sleep. But the amazing thing about the whole experience is that I realized how strong I am. I realized that I can really do anything I set my mind to. I can run without a good nights sleep. I really ran out of any excuse I would typically use when I feel lazy and don't feel like working out. I am a strong person and I need to use that strength more often. I hope I can remember that feeling for the rest of my life.

Our van was awesome. We had so much fun. I will seriously never forget what an amazing crazy experience that was. I might even sign up next year!

Then we spent Saturday night on Coronado. We chilled with some other friends from our ward. Heather and Steve are moving out of state for Steve's residency so we had to party one last time. We stayed at the Marriott right on the Harbor. Ate at little italy. Rode our bikes. Hot tubbed it up. Got fake tatoos. Ate at Phils. Revealed a lot of truths about ourselves on the way home. Our crew is like no other. We seriously all mesh so well. We will miss the Brandon's dearly!

The District

2011-04-06T09:05:00.000-07:00

We went to Washington, D.C. We stayed with Shelley & she let us borrow her car... we love her. Nicki got us an amazing deal on tickets... we love her too. We visited A LOT of people and places. We ate A LOT of yummy food. We saw the cherry blossoms. We walked where some of our most inspiring leaders walked. We remembered how much God has had a hand in the establishment of this amazing (yes, currently lost/struggling) country that we live in. We are grateful to have gone, seen, ate and visited. And also grateful to have ended up in the "Even More Legroom" seats there and back.

Here is a collection of our favorite photos. There were over 500 to start with so this is just a piece of the puzzle, but I hope you enjoy it.

Untitled from Amy Rex on Vimeo.

Farewell

2011-03-25T13:45:00.000-07:00

The hubster and I are off to Washington, D.C. to see where he served his mission. We have great family who hooked us up big time. With cheapo Jet Blue tickets (Nicki you are the bomb-digity), a free place to stay and a car to use while we're there (Shelly, we love you). Thanks granny for raising such kind ladies. Thanks to the Darrow sisters we are taking our dream trip (I've never been) for a steal of a price. And thanks be to Uncle Rob for marrying a great lady, Aunt Steph...you are our favorite.

So, off we go to see the Cherry Blossoms, hang out with Aunt Shelly, see our nation's capitol and probably gain a few pounds eating yummy food. We leave tonight on a red eye...my first one...wish me luck!

Happy Spring Break to the rest of you!!!

Pure Insanity

2011-03-25T13:38:00.000-07:00

When we got home from Vegas on Saturday night Tyler left with his buddies to stay with our cousin Christina down in LA. She lives just down the hill from Dodger stadium where the starting line was. The beginning of the race wasn't bad. Supposedly it was actually enjoyable for the first 15 miles or so, even with some rain. But after that, when it got colder, windier and the rain got heavier, it wasn't quite as exciting. Joints locked up, shivering ensued and goal times got farther and farther away. BUT, they all finished. Tyler and his 3 friends all took a little longer than they had hoped, but they all stuck it out. Me and two of the other faithful wives stuck it out at mile marker 15 and then headed to the chaos that was the finish line. Basically the finish line area looked like the location of a natural disaster. Shivering, crying, limping bodies looking desperately for familiar faces as they walk 5 blocks to the family reunion area. The set up was unbelievably stupid. We stood at the finish line for a couple hours in the worst part of the storm. We were SO happy that we eventually found our husbands. The rest of the day was spent in traffic trying to get back to Christina's to get Tyler's stuff & then back home where I could finally change into clean, dry clothes.

It was not a very fun day. I wish Tyler had chosen to do a different marathon. LA was just terribly set up at the finish. He says he will never do one again, but I don't know if that will change in the years to come. He did it and I am proud of him. He is a strong man and I am lucky to have a man that never gives up. Even when the rain and wind crash down he just keeps on pushing through life. I'm grateful for that, but I am also grateful for the sunny days.

Welcome to Fabulous

2011-03-24T11:04:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to Vegas to see our best man Regan and Kate get sealed in the Temple. Friday night we went to eat at D.O.C.G. in the Cosmopolitan Hotel. Tyler's friend from high school is one of the cooks and totally hooked us up. Now, if you know anything about Tyler and I you know that we LOVE to eat. We both have decided that our food at D.O.C.G. was the best meal we have EVER had. That is huge people. If you are ever in Vegas and you want to eat the best meal you'll ever have go there. It was insane. Seriously. Oh and after dinner we went up to the 4th floor to check out the pool area... It was also mind blowing. I seriously cannot wait until Tyler gets a real job and we can afford to stay there. We will never have to leave the hotel. It was gorgeous. Afterwards we walked around on the strip, saw a drunken brawl and saw the water show at the Bellagio.

On Saturday we saw our friends get married. It was beautiful + her Grandpa was the sealer. The reception was awesome. Both Regan and Kate are graphic designers so the reception was beyond creative. Definitely unique. I loved it.

Congrats Regan + Kate. We were so happy that we were able to be there for your amazing wedding day.